The University of Virginia wrestling team is on a roll, and it could not have come at a better time.
After dropping Ohio and James Madison Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium, the Cavaliers (10-4 overall) are currently riding a five-match winning streak and sit tied atop the ACC with a 2-0 conference record.
Now, with the ACC and NCAA Championships on the horizon, they face a crucial three-match stretch that could make or break or their season.
Saturday, they will play at third place North Carolina State at noon and then hop over to Duke to play the Blue Devils at 7 p.m. After that, it is back to Charlottesville to prepare for a key tussle with fellow conference leader Maryland next Friday.
"There are a few things that are up for grabs," Virginia coach Lenny Bernstein said. "One is obviously the ACC dual meet title, which I think we have an opportunity to get this year. I think N.C. State is going to be a bigger challenge than Duke this week, but we can't really walk into any dual meet and just dominate; everybody has to be on. Also, these matches, individually, count for seeding at the ACCs and who you're going to wrestle in the semifinals and all that."
Bernstein, now in his 13th year as the leader of the Cavaliers, is hungry for a strong finish heading into the ACCs. Virginia has been conference runner-up six times in the last 12 seasons and has not won an ACC title since 1977. And, as if that was not motivation enough for these final weeks, the Cavaliers were picked to finish fifth in a six-team conference before the season began.
"It's almost like we have a chip on our shoulder, and I think that's the way we like to wrestle," Bernstein said. "Guys wrestle with a physical style, and I think they get after it and that's why it's an exciting opportunity for our young guys."
Freshman Brent Jones (197 lbs.) -- one of several Cavaliers vying for a top seed in the ACC tournament -- stressed the importance of a strong conference finish heading into the postseason.
"We have three matches left going into the ACC [Championships]," he said. "There's nothing more than us wanting to come out on top in all three, [and go into] the [Championships] showing we're here to wrestle. Come and get us."
In his next breath, however, Jones also cautioned against looking too far ahead.
"Individually we're all working to get that No. 1 seed for the ACC Championships, which could potentially help us get into Nationals," Jones said. "But we just have to take it one match at a time. We have to fix all our problems. Once we get that done, we'll be pretty set."
The 2006 ACC Championship will be held March 4 at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexingaton. The NCAA Championships are March 16-18 in Oklahoma City.
--Walker Freer contributed to this story
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